A Promise
by ShadowRaven27
Summary: They met online, they dated, and broke up. But now a promise will be fulfilled. A mix of my personal experience and some imagination.
1. A Promise

**A/N: Hiya guys, gals, ladies and gents. I'm in Malaysia for a holiday and today I'm going back to Singapore but! I got the sudden urge to write this one-shot here. Now this here is written with a half of it being from my personal experience and the rest all imagination. What is experience and imagination I shall not tell. But I hope that you'll grab a comfy seat, a nice snack(s) and enjoy!**

A Promise

Judy sighed as she packed the last item on her list into her backpack. Her ears picked up on the sounds of her siblings rising out of bed and starting to go about their day as the sun peeked out from over the hills, it's bright rays spilling over the grass fresh with dew. Judy looked at her phone and a soft smile appeared on her lips.

"Just wait. I'm coming." she whispered before she slung on her backpack and went out of the house. Her parents and some of her siblings bid her farewell from the train station before she stepped onto the train, for the first time in her life she would leave Bunnyburrow. But only for a few days. The world seemed to whirl by as her mind traveled back in time, she shed a small tear before she wiped it away. She was finally going to meet him. See the kind of guy he was. Find out who he was.

The trained finally arrived at Zootopia and she took a deep breath before she alighted the train. The sights before her dazzled her as she took each step into the grand city. The skyscrapers overhead, the mammals going about their day, the smell of food, the liveliness of the place. Her lips curved up in a smile as she felt a skip in her step. She had waited for this chance ever since that day. Judy felt her tears well up again but she would not allow them to fall. At least not yet.

Her feet and a map of the city brought her onto the hot sand of Sahara Square, the heat making her fan herself in an attempt to cool herself. Mammals of that district seemed mostly fine while the young doe squinted her eyes under the blazing sun and searched for some shelter from it. She finally spotted a shaded alley and raced into it. The doe was relieved when she found that it did some good for her as she stood under the shade of the buildings. She found that she had nothing much to do now and took out her phone and scrolled through her album. She found the picture she was looking for and tapped on it. It was a picture of the fountain sparkling in the blistering heat of Sahara Square while the sun set and the sky dimmed as evening arrived. She smiled as she matched it up with its replica in the center of the square where water droplets glistened like miniature gems. The water leaped and jumped like it was alive as the time ticked by like a snail. The past repeated in her mind as she waited for a certain someone to pass by. Though she has no idea if she would even see him but she waited there still. Hoping, as that was all she could do. She had no further lead than the picture and a few words.

It was evening now and the heat was now bearable for the gray doe as she stepped out and enjoyed the pleasant breeze the evening brought. The sky was now filled with orange of different shades and the busy square was now quite quiet. Shops in the area had started to close their shutters and Judy fiddled with her fingers as she waited for a minute longer, hoping that he would be there like he said he always would after the sun had set and the small stars like lanterns lit up the sky. Judy's ears picked up the sound of claws on the pavement and turned her head, expecting to be see another mammal other than the one she was waiting for and be yet again disappointed but she gasped and smiled brightly as she saw him. The sun had just set as she spotted the russet fur and emerald eyed mammal she had been waiting for. Or I hope it is. She thought.

"I'm always hanging out here recently." he had said when he sent her the picture of the fountain and the park next to it.

"Why do you hang out there?" she had asked curiously.

"Because it's peaceful and quiet. It's a nice place to hang out in the evenings when you're stressed. Which I constantly am after all that studying." he had answered simply and from then on, Judy had been determined to meet him at that very spot where she was sure she would find him. She was 15 when she had thought this and it was naive thought but it had now been 4 years. And here she was. Standing so close, yet, she had to cover a distance, still, to reach him. Just a few pastes and she would be able to finally talk to him. But she didn't cross that distance. She stood by the glistening fountain, feet rooted to the spot, staring after him as he entered the park, a small, relaxed smile on his muzzle. It made her heart swell with emotion that she dared not express. Held it down with chains and locked it in a chest with numerous locks. Although he was a predator, although her parents spun stories about how dangerous they were she still loved him. Her mind was back 5 years ago. When she was young and naive, inexperienced and very much optimistic.

5 years ago

Judy joined in a group chat her friend had introduced her to as at that time she was quite taken to a bit of gaming due to playing with her brothers during her free time and had quickly made friends from overseas while playing one that allowed her to connect globally to others and talk to them when they teamed up, and she joining in this group chat would mean she would be making more. It had been quite a few weeks, close to a month, after she joined when she had met Nick and they had talked for a day or two to get to know one another. But Judy what didn't expect was……

"*Kisses*" Judy was stunned as she read the message again. Did she just get….. Kissed?! By Nick!? She blushed profusely and shuffled her feet nervously as she thought of how to respond. Sure, it wasn't like he did it physically but still.

"N-nick! What are you doing?!" she waited for him to reply, that wait seemed to be an eternity.

"U-um, testing chemistry?" he seemed uncertain, and as nervous as she was. Judy touched her cheek and she could feel the burning heat under her fur and could almost swear that her cheeks were as red as tomatoes right at that moment.

"Sorry Judy, I didn't mean to." Judy looked at the message Nick sent. This was a group chat! What was he doing when everyone was watching?! She took a few deep breaths and calmed herself down and reasoned with herself. Nick was as awkward about it as she was and was probably as red. But maybe some privacy would have been better. She thought. After a few grins and comments from the others they moved to just messaging each other privately.

"Judy, are you okay?" Judy smiled as Nick expressed his worry. Her heart warmed at the thought of the mammal on the other side being worried about her.

"Quite fine. So….." Judy paused and swallowed to moisten her dry throat before she started to type once more, "what was with the kiss?" She blushed as she sent it. She wasn't really kissed but it still made her blush to think about it.

"Ah, um, well..…" Nick had then told her about how he felt. After a long while of him being flustered he confessed to her and in the heat of the moment Judy had agreed to date him. And that was how it all started. The first day, she had a test to take after school and she couldn't help but daydream about Nick. He had told her he had russet fur and emerald eyes as well that he was a predator after she prodded and pleaded for him to tell her more about him and she was simply on cloud nine, even if her first thought was anxiety it was quickly replaced by how sweet he was. Predator or no, he was still a mammal like her. She daydreamed about the times they would have if they met in reality. They'd go on dates, they'd have sweet moments, they'd enjoy each other's company. But the thing that came along with those daydreams was a heavy weight on her shoulders. As she took the test, it was as if she was in a daze. She had her head in the clouds but her shoulders were weighed down by something. Her mind was rather foggy and unusually so as it was usually clear and awake, unlike her now dazed state. But she didn't know what or why the weight was there. The next two days, Judy spent them in a slightly similar state. She tried hard to figure out what the weight in her shoulders was but she could not find the answer.

On the third day, she had enough. She didn't think that it felt right to date Nick anymore. She started to have doubts, and her heart sank as she thought of pushing him away. But push away she did. They had a long talk that afternoon. Judy pushing him away as gently as she could and Nick telling her it was fine. But Judy knew that it wasn't okay. She felt it. She cried, hard. The hardest she cried since she watched that sad movie a few years back. Her tears wouldn't stop flowing as she typed and spoke to him.

"Nick. I'm crying. I'm crying a lot."

"Judy. Please don't cry." Nick had wiped away her tears virtually. With words, he expressed what he wanted to do. It made Judy cry harder and at the end of it Judy was sure she had cried a river. She sat in a corner and stared at the screen of her phone. She had now made Nick her big brother of sorts. They were like that, not related by blood but cared for each other, she had said. No. That might not be it. Judy had thought as she tried to stop her overflowing tears.

"Maybe the affection I felt for you is just a sisterly kind." Nick had said during the conversation and Judy had went along with it. Joked about it. But her heart ached. That may not be true. I only agreed because I don't know what I feel. She weeped and buried her head into her paws, phone set on the floor and she spent some time just sitting by her lonesome in her room. After a few weeks from then she once again set foot on this topic and talked about meeting face to face and how she might still be in love with him.

"I'll make sure we meet. I'll go and find you." Her promise to him that she would meet him one day, face to face, had faded off during the long years after that. She was sure that Nick would have forgotten it already. Or that even if they met he would've felt that he was no longer in love with her.

Present time

After leaving the square, Judy had returned to the hotel and slept for the night. Waking up the next morning to a hearty breakfast and bright sunlight outside. She now stood outside the hotel that she had booked and set off again, this time to see the sights and buy some souvenirs for her family. She had convinced her parents that she only wanted to visit Zootopia upon a dare that she had with her siblings and would be back in a few days. "It'll be just like a mini vacation" she had said to her concerned parents. That was in fact the half truth at least. Indeed, she was here on a dare by her siblings but she had used it as a chance to find Nick. She now roamed the streets of the hot and humid district under the glaring sun before daring to venture further into the other districts to see what they had to offer. The new and dazzling sights awed her and she strolled through the bustling streets of the city. As evening approached, her mind started to wonder and before she knew it, her feet had once more returned to the fountain near the park where she had stood yesterday. She shook her head. Dumb bunny. You don't need to be here, you already saw him yesterday. She chided herself and sighed, looking longingly at the park. Well, just a peek of the place wouldn't hurt. I'll just take a look and go back to the hotel to sleep.

Her feet moved. A little hesitantly as she walked into the park. She had to admit, it was stunning. The lake glistened quietly as the cold night breeze blew and the leaves of trees rustled lightly. The place was peaceful and quiet with another aspect that Nick had not mentioned. The park had quite a number of couples roaming about at night. It seemed that some couples used the park as a date spot for the night and Judy looked at them as near and far they expressed what she wouldn't and couldn't express. Love.

Tears welled up once more beneath her eyelids as she let go of the feeling slightly. Letting her heart take control for moment. She leaned against a truck of a tree as she watch the lake glisten with the lights from the stars and lights of the city at night. A tear trickled down her cheek as her mind traveled back in time once more. More tears fell and she started to sniffle and she clasped her paws tightly in front of her. No, she couldn't. She loved Nick. In a romantic way, but it might be too late. And there's also the fact that Nick was a predator and she was a prey mammal. Nick might be against them being together once he saw her, she didn't know. She hadn't really _told_ him she was a prey mammal as she was afraid. Afraid that he would hate her. She sniffled and didn't bother to wipe the tears falling non-stop down her cheek. It didn't matter if other mammals would see her. She just…. Couldn't hold it together anymore. She openly cried and softly whimpered and wailed a little. She was shocked when a large, clawed paw touched her shoulder. She was slightly anxious, wary of the mammal who had came up to her but relaxed upon seeing the bright emeralds orbs of a certain mammal.

"Are you… Judy?" asked the vulpine with uncertainty and a little hope.

"N-nick?" she said through her tears and the mammal, the fox, in front of her relaxed. His gaze softened and he gently wiped the tears trickling down her cheek, careful that his claws didn't scratch her.

"So you are Judy… I can't believe it."Judy blushed slightly. She had almost forgotten that she had told Nick a little about herself. That her fur was gray, that her eyes were amethyst, and such. She had almost forgotten she had told him. She was about to say something more when Nick pulled her into a warm embrace. She, a bunny, was embraced by a fox. A thousand years ago the two species were natural enemies. And even now she should've felt fear, anxiety, wary but she didn't feel any of that. She was happy that he had done so and was completely comfortable wrapped in his arms. She sighed in content and wrapped her arms around his torso.

"I see you've kept your promise." He teasingly whispered. For a moment, Judy wasn't able to understand what he meant when it hit her. She had promised that she would hug him when they finally met face to face. She smiled happily.

"When we meet. I want to hug you. It's a promise." she had said so many years ago. She smiled.

"Yep. I'm happy we could meet face to face." she hugged the red fox tighter as she said so and he smiled back down at her.

"Right back at you." at that very moment, a devious smile spread over Nick's muzzle. "Carrots."

 **A/N:** ***Yawns*** **On the road and I feel sleepy so before I knock myself out I thank you folks for reading and I hope you've enjoyed this little one-shot and for those lovebirds out there I wish you all happiness.** ***Stifles a yawn*** **Okay! I need some sleep. That's it from me now, Ciao~**


	2. A Small Insight Into A Promise

Now. I'm pretty sure those of you reading this already have read "A Promise". And I can assure you that it's not very good, it's beginner's work but it came from the heart. Some of you already know that this short story is based on my own experience that, at the time, I didn't reveal what part of. But now, the wound's been healing out and I felt that you guys who are curious might want to indulge me a bit in my rambling. This is definitely isn't the most coherent piece of writing I've done but I just thought I wanted to let this flow out. Because for me, it's something I wanna do to also convince myself that it is well and truly an unregrettable experience for myself.

So as you know, I do not own Zootopia or anything (Disclaimers everywhere) and I am definitely no Judy but I tried to incorporate my own desires and funnel it through her and Nick in this story. A Promise is a story I wrote that was derived of my broken hopes upon meeting a slightly older guy online, who I shan't name. (Pretty sure I wrote the story half asleep if you notice all the flaws in it, btw.) He was one of the very first who kick-started my romantic life again. I am chubby and ugly in my own opinion of my real life self, even as I'm being called cute in all directions, I had given up on love for myself long ago. And there's suddenly this one silly guy who conversed with me for two days tops before virtually french kissing me. I kid you not, and that's not the worse part. If you're on Discord you know what servers are and if you put two and two together, you know what I'm getting at.

That's right, he did it publicly, suddenly, and in the general chat of a server. In front of maybe more than twenty, thirty, forty people. I don't know, some people do lurk and not speak often so I'm not sure.

Now I don't hold a grudge for it, in fact I'm kinda thankful for him doing that as that was what got my love life of troubles started. And again, I kid you not when I say that it was the very first time someone got me to blush that hard. To all you girls who haven't even gotten their first kiss yet, you get where I'm coming from don't you? That feeling of suddenness and affection and intimacy that just pounced you, is what I'm talking about. This was probably what made him fall for him so much. Or part of the reason. Another part of the reason I fell for him really badly was because he was the first one in my entire life to say that he was attracted to me romantically. We did move to a private chat a bit later and discussed the matter and believe it or not, on that day, I agreed in the heat of the moment to date him. I was flushed by then, I was feeling hot, I was dizzy, I was dazed and unbelieving. This was the very first person who had ever shown any interest in me beyond friends.

Now, I know what you're thinking now. "Did she really love him for so long?"

The answer is simple really. No I did not. We only did this for only two and a half days before, as what happened in the story, I decided to, in plain words…. Dump him. I know, it sounds shitty of me but I have a reason. As I wrote in the story, Judy felt a weight on her even as she was happy as she could be. I felt that. And it was strange, and I felt that my vision was being fogged and there was something that didn't… Feel quite right. I was happy but what was this weight? I kept thinking about it and finally, in all my childish glory, I decided that we weren't meant to be in a relationship quite so intimate. We turned into sort of sibling relationship, again, as I wrote in the story. I cried like hell that day. My eyes were redder than they ever were and I was hiccupping and I was basically a mess. I felt broken and torn but yet the weight had lifted off my shoulders somehow. And again, I know it sounds really shitty, but as a kid, I couldn't take such a weight. It was tormenting in it's own way and I couldn't handle it. And I knew that I couldn't.

Now, after we broke up… I felt broken still. It hurt to think about him and about the feeling of losing him that I had. My affection had cut that deep that I couldn't pick myself up for a while. I struggled with my own pain but I managed to cope in the end, if only barely I suppose. And, after a few months of being sob and mopping, around the middle of the year, I fell incredibly ill. I'm not dramatizing it. Seriously. I got an infection slightly above my chest area because I had a sinus there that had been accumulating dirt and basically turned really bad. I had a high fever whilst being rushed to one hospital to another to get accepted in to do treatment on me and skipping the trip in between the first and second hospital, I somehow, after an hour or so, managed to get myself stuck in the children's ward for four nights. (Side note here is that cuz I'm chubby the nurse stabbed me with a needle for a drip three times but, that's a story for next time.)

The time in the wards weren't so bad, exempting the screaming and crying children around me as well as the smell of, oddly, chicken in the ward. I… spent the days thinking about the guy I broke up with. Just reminiscing what I had hoped and dreamed of doing and what happened in the short time we spent together, and honestly, now that I look back. I don't regret a thing. He was sweet and kind and he was special, but he wasn't the one. Linking back to the story….. A Promise is in a way one of my more prominent promises to him. I promised I'd write a story based of us. I had promised him and it'd had been a while since I had promised him that but one of the late nights I had at the hospital and writing the story till 2am saw me fulfilling it. It was admitted what I had desired to happen. I wanted to meet this sweet guy who just, treated me like his everything. Texting me every night to check up on me and talking to me into the night sometimes.

….. I'm telling all of you readers this now. Publicly. Because I want to announce right here and right now, I have finally let him go after 2 years of him dwelling there in my heart. It's not say, "oh I finally let go of him recently", no. I have let go of him long ago but only now have I come to fully accept that I have done so. I have a lover now, I got through a lot to get here, promise. (hah, no references intended…) And this is me saying that I will let the past rest where they may lie now and I'm moving on with my love life.

 ******* And… to the guy I shan't name and was quite a big part in the reason why I wrote this. If you're reading this. I'm sorry. And… Thank you. Still love ya, but as a sibling, yeah?

… Thank you all for reading if you have read my words thus far without criticizing me for my decisions or well, if you've only done the first part, well done for indulging in my ramblings? I may not write a lot, or often upload, or am not often here but I am here and I'm glad you've read this for whatever the reason. This is a point in my life where things are changing rapid fast and I just want to put this out there to remind myself of what I learnt, did and have done thus far and to also maybe entertain you guys a little bit with my somewhat silly and sob love and break up story. No matter what, I love you guys and you should love yourself too. Never doubt that you need to love yourself and give yourself equal amounts of love that you give to others.

(Unless.. You know… You become a biiiiit too absorbed in yourself and snobby then that's a problem… But well.. That discussion is for another time.)

Thank you readers for your weirdly, slowly, increasing support. I guess it's because some people who, I have no idea who, found me for some reason and my stories and liked it for some reason… But thanks for reading. And…. Oh, if you'd like to talk to me about anything, feel free to PM me. And if you want me to maybe continue this story and change it into a sort of really long story for your enjoyment uh…. PM me or comment about it too. Can't say I'll respond fast with school and all that but feel free to drop any comments or PMs anytime and I'll check them…. When I get to them. Heh. With that, nightos amigos. It's way too far past midnight after I finish writing this and there's school tomorrow… Fun.

Ciao.


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